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North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an intergovernmental military alliance of 28 states based on the North Atlantic Treaty signed on April 4th, 1949. The organization constitutes a system of collective defense, as stated in Article 5 of its charter: "The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all...if such an armed attack occurs, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith...such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area." Originally, it was created to defend members from the threat of invasion from the East, but after the Cold War, its priority has been fighting terrorism and dictatorships, mainly in the Middle East, North Africa and East Africa. History 1949-1990 1991 to date It has participate in overseas UN supported roles in the Kosovo War, the Bosnian War, Operations of Afghanistan, Training Mission in Iraq, Operation Ocean Shield and Operations in Libya, along side several other nations from outside of NATO. The Baltic states and Poland reaffirmed the loyalty to NATO on Jan' 29th, 2010. On WikiLeaks maliciously exposes a secret NATO Baltic defense plan on Dec' 8th, 2010. The plan is meant to see off any invasions by Russia. NATO's Saber Strike 2013 Exercise The opening ceremony of the multinational Saber Strike 2013 was held on 3 June in Camp Ādaži. The exercise was opened by the Latvian Deputy Chief of Defence, Brigadier General Juris Zeibārts. Forces from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, the USA and the UK took part in the opening ceremony. They and other troopers from Poland took part in the exercise. Joint land and air force training exercise was meant to test local military readiness and preparedness. NATO's Steadfast Jazz 2013 Exercise The purpose of the event exercise was as training and testing of the NATO Response Force, as 400 soldiers from the Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS). The NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the presidents of the 3 Baltic States will visit forces from NATO and partner nations at Ādaži military camp. The Steadfast Jazz 2013 Exercise, took place from November 2 – 9, 2013 in the Ādaži military camp, Latvia. Troops from Finland, Sweden, Ukraine and Poland were also involved and a Polish base also hosted a later event. Participating countries Membership In 1949, with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty by the countries of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. Subsequently, 16 more countries have joined in 6 enlargements, as summarised in the following table. Future members 4 states currently have governments supporting NATO membership: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro which each has a Membership Action Plan; plus Georgia who is classified as an Aspiring Member and was promised membership in the 2008 Bucharest Summit. A secondary stage for membership, the Intensified Dialogue, is the current stage for Georgia and Ukraine, whose stance toward NATO membership has reversed after its 2010 election. Partnerships Note: If one state belongs to more than 1 partnership, it is only listed in the highest-level partnership. *'Membership Action Plan:' Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro *'Individual Partnership Action Plan:' Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Ukraine *'Partnership for Peace:' Austria, Belarus, Finland, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan *'Mediterranean Dialogue:' Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia *'Istanbul Cooperation Initiative:' Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE *'Global Partners:' Afghanistan, Australia, Colombia, Iraq, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Korea Category:Organizations